Archie Edwards
Encyclopedia
Archie Edwards was an American
Piedmont blues
guitarist
, who in a sporadic career spanning several decades, worked variously with Mississippi John Hurt
, Skip James
, and John Jackson
. His best known tracks included "Saturday Night Hop", "The Road is Rough and Rocky", and "I Called My Baby Long Distance". In the 1950s, his own barber shop attracted blues musicians, who helped to kickstart Edwards' musical career.
Edwards described his performing as "I play what they call the old Piedmont style, but I call it East Virginia blues 'cause that's where I learned it".
, United States
, his early work left some time to engage with local musicians, but he had to share his first guitar with his two brothers. Inspired by recordings of Blind Boy Fuller
and Blind Lemon Jefferson
, he played locally and found employment in a sawmill. In 1937, he relocated to New Jersey
, working as a chauffeur and later in an hotel in Columbus, Ohio
. Edwards served time in the military police
during World War II
, but struggled to settle in the post-war years. He eventually found work as a barber, opening his own shop in Washington, D.C.
in 1959. It was frequented by Mississippi John Hurt
, and the duo formed a loose working relationship with Skip James
, which endured several years before his friend Hurt's death in 1966. After mourning Edwards wrote the song, "The Road is Rough and Rocky".
Edwards found more regular work at music festival
s and in local clubs
, and also joined John Jackson
, John Cephas and Phil Wiggins
, Flora Molton and Mother Scott, and played around Washington billed as the Travelling Blues Workshop.
In 1978, Edwards appeared with the American Folk Blues Festival
playing across Europe. L & R Records subsequently released Living Country Blues USA, Vol. 6: The Road Is Rough (1982), and after returning from touring Continental Europe
, Edwards teamed up with Eleanor Ellis and Flora Molton. The threesome toured across the United States, Canada and Europe, including Charlie Musselwhite
in the entourage in 1987.
Edwards then recorded for Mapleshade Records
, releasing Blues 'n Bones in 1989.
Edwards died in Seat Pleasant, Maryland
in June 1998, at the age of 79. His posthumous release, The Toronto Sessions, was based on work he recorded in Canada in 1986.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Piedmont blues
Piedmont blues
Piedmont blues refers primarily to a guitar style, the Piedmont fingerstyle, which is characterized by a fingerpicking approach in which a regular, alternating thumb bass string rhythmic pattern supports a syncopated melody using the treble strings generally picked with the fore-finger,...
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, who in a sporadic career spanning several decades, worked variously with Mississippi John Hurt
Mississippi John Hurt
John Smith Hurt, better known as Mississippi John Hurt was an American country blues singer and guitarist.Raised in Avalon, Mississippi, Hurt taught himself how to play the guitar around age nine...
, Skip James
Skip James
Nehemiah Curtis "Skip" James was an American Delta blues singer, guitarist, pianist and songwriter, born in Bentonia, Mississippi, died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
, and John Jackson
John Jackson (blues musician)
John Jackson was an American Piedmont blues musician; his music did not become primary until his accidental "discovery" by folklorist Chuck Perdue in the 1960s...
. His best known tracks included "Saturday Night Hop", "The Road is Rough and Rocky", and "I Called My Baby Long Distance". In the 1950s, his own barber shop attracted blues musicians, who helped to kickstart Edwards' musical career.
Edwards described his performing as "I play what they call the old Piedmont style, but I call it East Virginia blues 'cause that's where I learned it".
Biography
Born on a farm near Union Hall, VirginiaUnion Hall, Virginia
Union Hall is a census-designated place in Franklin County, Virginia, United States. The population was 957 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Union Hall is located at ....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, his early work left some time to engage with local musicians, but he had to share his first guitar with his two brothers. Inspired by recordings of Blind Boy Fuller
Blind Boy Fuller
Blind Boy Fuller was an American blues guitarist and vocalist. He was one of the most popular of the recorded Piedmont blues artists with rural Black Americans, a group that also included Blind Blake, Josh White, and Buddy Moss.-Life and career:Fulton Allen was born in Wadesboro, North Carolina,...
and Blind Lemon Jefferson
Blind Lemon Jefferson
"Blind" Lemon Jefferson was an American blues singer and guitarist from Texas. He was one of the most popular blues singers of the 1920s, and has been titled "Father of the Texas Blues"....
, he played locally and found employment in a sawmill. In 1937, he relocated to New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, working as a chauffeur and later in an hotel in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
. Edwards served time in the military police
Military police
Military police are police organisations connected with, or part of, the military of a state. The word can have different meanings in different countries, and may refer to:...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, but struggled to settle in the post-war years. He eventually found work as a barber, opening his own shop in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in 1959. It was frequented by Mississippi John Hurt
Mississippi John Hurt
John Smith Hurt, better known as Mississippi John Hurt was an American country blues singer and guitarist.Raised in Avalon, Mississippi, Hurt taught himself how to play the guitar around age nine...
, and the duo formed a loose working relationship with Skip James
Skip James
Nehemiah Curtis "Skip" James was an American Delta blues singer, guitarist, pianist and songwriter, born in Bentonia, Mississippi, died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
, which endured several years before his friend Hurt's death in 1966. After mourning Edwards wrote the song, "The Road is Rough and Rocky".
Edwards found more regular work at music festival
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
s and in local clubs
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
, and also joined John Jackson
John Jackson (blues musician)
John Jackson was an American Piedmont blues musician; his music did not become primary until his accidental "discovery" by folklorist Chuck Perdue in the 1960s...
, John Cephas and Phil Wiggins
Cephas & Wiggins
Cephas & Wiggins was an American acoustic blues duo, composed of guitarist John Cephas and harmonica player Phil Wiggins . They were known for playing Piedmont blues.- History :...
, Flora Molton and Mother Scott, and played around Washington billed as the Travelling Blues Workshop.
In 1978, Edwards appeared with the American Folk Blues Festival
American Folk Blues Festival
The American Folk Blues Festival was a music festival that toured Europe beginning in 1962.German jazz publicist Joachim-Ernst Berendt first had the idea of bringing original African-American blues performers to Europe. Jazz had become very popular, and rock and roll was just gaining a foothold,...
playing across Europe. L & R Records subsequently released Living Country Blues USA, Vol. 6: The Road Is Rough (1982), and after returning from touring Continental Europe
Continental Europe
Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands....
, Edwards teamed up with Eleanor Ellis and Flora Molton. The threesome toured across the United States, Canada and Europe, including Charlie Musselwhite
Charlie Musselwhite
Charlie Musselwhite is an American electric blues harmonica player and bandleader, one of the non-black bluesmen who came to prominence in the early 1960s, along with Mike Bloomfield and Paul Butterfield. Though he has often been identified as a "white bluesman", he claims Native American heritage...
in the entourage in 1987.
Edwards then recorded for Mapleshade Records
Mapleshade Records
Mapleshade Records is an American jazz based record label.Mapleshade was founded in 1989 by Pierre Sprey, who had been recording since 1986. Prior to his career in jazz recording, Sprey had worked as an aeronautical engineer in The Pentagon, designing A-10 and F-16 fighter jets. The label is based...
, releasing Blues 'n Bones in 1989.
Edwards died in Seat Pleasant, Maryland
Seat Pleasant, Maryland
Seat Pleasant is an incorporated city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States immediately east of Washington D.C. The population was 4,885 at the 2000 census. Two state highways run through it — Maryland Route 704 and Maryland Route 214...
in June 1998, at the age of 79. His posthumous release, The Toronto Sessions, was based on work he recorded in Canada in 1986.
Discography
| Year | Title | Record label |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Living Country Blues USA, Vol. 6: The Road Is Rough | L & R Records |
| 1989 | Blues 'n Bones | Mapleshade Mapleshade Records Mapleshade Records is an American jazz based record label.Mapleshade was founded in 1989 by Pierre Sprey, who had been recording since 1986. Prior to his career in jazz recording, Sprey had worked as an aeronautical engineer in The Pentagon, designing A-10 and F-16 fighter jets. The label is based... |
| 2001 | The Toronto Sessions | NorthernBlues NorthernBlues Music NorthernBlues Music is a Canadian independent record label, which specializes in blues music. The label was established in 2001, and a number of its artists and albums have since been nominated for and won Blues Music Awards... |